News of his exit was first highlighted by former Petra Jaya PKR division chief Iswardy Morni in a post on X yesterday.

Wan Ji, 43, confirmed the matter when contacted by FMT, saying he submitted his resignation letter on Jan 1.

“I am getting older. Therefore, I need to think about having fewer enemies,” he said.

“When I was in PKR, many who were not from the party did not want to befriend me.”

The preacher, who was previously a PAS member, joined PKR in 2015. He also served as an aide to former Penang chief minister Lim Guan Eng.

In September 2023, Wan Ji was jailed for nine months after being convicted of sedition against the Sultan of Selangor, Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah, over a Facebook post in 2012.